Hibiscus plant named ‘Mathilde’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Hibiscus plant named ‘Mathilde’, characterized by its upright plant habit; very freely branching; dense and bushy growth habit; freely flowering habit; and attractive and numerous light lavender-colored flowers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hibiscusplant, botanically known as Hibiscus syriacus, and hereinafter referredto by the cultivar name Mathilde.

The new Hibiscus is a product of a breeding program conducted by theInventor in Boskoop, The Netherlands. The objective of the breedingprogram was to create new Hibiscus cultivars with good vigor andimproved flowers.

The new Hibiscus originated from open-pollinations of variousunidentified seedling selections of Hibiscus syriacus cultivar Hamabo,not patented, in 1995. The new Hibiscus was discovered and selected bythe Inventor in 1996 as a single flowering plant within the progeny fromthese crosses in a controlled environment in Boskoop, The Netherlands.The new Hibiscus was selected on the basis of its vigor and desirablelight lavender flower color.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cuttings taken at Boskoop,The Netherlands, has shown that the unique features of this new Hibiscusare stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Mathilde have not been observed under all possibeenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, light intensity,daylength, and fertility level without, however, any variance ingenotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Mathilde’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Mathilde’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright plant habit.

2. When pinched, very freely branching; dense and bushy growth habit.

3. Freely flowering.

4. Attractive and numerous light lavender-colored flowers.

Compared to the unidentified selections of the Hibiscus syriacuscultivar ‘Hamabo’, plants of the new Hibiscus are faster-growing, havelonger lateral branches, are more freely branching, and are thereforemore densely foliated and are much more freely flowering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which more accurately describe the actual colorsof the new Hibiscus. The photograph comprises a close-up view of atypical flower of ‘Mathilde’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants were grown in GrandHaven, Mich. under field conditions which closely approximate commercialproduction conditions. Plants used for the description were about fouryears old.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus syriacus cultivar Mathilde.

Parentage: Open-pollination of various unidentified seedling selectionsof Hibiscus syriacus cultivar Hamabo, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—By softwood or hardwood cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 21 days at 32° C. Winter: About 28days at 20° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting or liner.—Summer: About 56 days at 32°C. Winter: About 70 days at 20° C.

Root description.—Thick and fleshy.

Plant description:

Crop time.—From cuttings, about one growing season is required toproduce a flowering finished plant in a one-gallon container.

Form.—Mostly upright; inverted triangle; dense and bushy perennial.

Usage.—Appropriate for one to three-gallon containers.

Plant height, soil level to top of plant plane.—About 2.7 m.

Plant width.—About 1.75 m.

Vigor.—Moderate to rapid growth rate.

Branching habit.—When pinched, very freely branching with about 39lateral branches per plant.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 1.04 m. Diameter: About 6 mm. Internodelength: About 4.75 cm. Texture: Smooth. Color: 177A.

Foliage description.—Leaves simple, generally symmetrical and longpersisting. Tolerant to stresses. Quantity per lateral branch: Typicallyabout 50. Length: About 7 cm. Width: About 4.5 cm. Shape: Rhomboid toovate, three-lobed. Apex: Acute. Base: Acute. Margin: Crenate. Texture:Glabrous; thick. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 146A. Youngfoliage, lower surface: 146C. Mature foliage, upper surface: 146A;venation, 146B. Mature foliage, lower surface: 146B; venation, 146C.Petiole: Length: About 1.4 cm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Color: 141A.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Single rounded flowers arising from leaf axils.Freely flowering. Flowers last about one day on the plant. Notpersistent. Not fragrant.

Natural flowering season.—Continuously flowering from mid-summer throughfall.

Quantity of flowers.—About 34 per lateral branch; about 1,346 per plantduring the growing season.

Flower diameter.—About 10 cm.

Flower depth (height).—About 4 cm.

Flower buds (just showing color).—Length: About 4.5 cm. Diameter: About1.55 cm. Shape: Elliptical. Rate of opening: About one day. Color: 62D.

Petals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five petals. Length:About 6.5 cm. Width: About 4.5 cm. Shape: Obovate. Apex: Rounded toobtuse. Margin: Entire; undulate. Texture: Smooth. Color: Upper surface,when opening: 76D; base and veins, 60A. Lower surface, when opening:76D. Upper surface, opened flower: 76D; base and veins, 60A. Lowersurface, opened flower: 76D. Petaloids: Occasionally observed; variableshape and size. Quantity: Zero to 15. Arrangement: Whorled. Length:About 0.2 to 2 cm. Width: About 2 to 5 mm. Shape: Spatulate; slightlytwisted; margin, entire. Color, immature and mature: 76D.

Calyx.—Shape: Star; sepals, five. Length: About 1.75 cm. Diameter: About1.9 cm. Sepal shape: Narrowly deltoid; apex, acute; margin, entire.Texture: Smooth; thick. Color: Upper surface: 145A. Lower surface: 144A.

Peduncle.—Strength: Strong. Angle: About 30 to 35° to the stem. Length:About 8.5 mm. Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 50. Antherlength: About 1 mm. Anther color: Yellowish white. Pollen amount:Abundant. Pollen color: Yellow. Pistils: Pistil quantity per flower:One. Pistil length: About 3 cm. Stigma shape: Five-parted; rounded.Stigma color: White, close to 155D. Style length: About 3 cm. Stylecolor: White, close to 155D. Ovary color: 193B.

Seed.—Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Color: 193B.

Disease/insect resistance: Under commercial production conditions,plants of the new Hibiscus have not been noted to be resistant topathogens and insects common to Hibiscus.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Hibiscus plant named‘Mathilde’, as illustrated and described.